This is a dark Nordic mystery, for lovers of Jo Nesbo. Female inspector, Leonore, works mostly in the Lost Souls department. All the cold cases that no one wanted to finish, she takes care of. Leonore is naturally drawn to the obscure and her investigations continue to become more and more weird!

A really enjoyable Swedish police procedural about an out-of-the-box officer unraveling what may be a long series of crimes tied to a current missing persons case. Asker runs afoul of office politics and literally winds up in the basement, put in nominal charge of the force’s rejects and problems. I’m looking forward to further books in this smart, suspenseful series.

I liked the character and the mystery. It is really good start to a series, but I am becoming a little overwhelmed by all the detective stories, but this is a stand-out among them.

The Mountain King: A Novel by Anders de la Motte is the first installment in this author's new Leo Asker series.

The book has a bold female lead with an atmospheric locale and sinister mystery. This is the first book I've read by this author. The lead character was written well and was easy to connect with. The story was gripping and held my interest, and the author unraveled the story and made me feel part of the action.

The book was entertaining and had me guessing until the end. I would recommend this book.

#NetGalley @AtriaBooks

Incredibly gripping and a pure joy to read from the very beginning. Fantastic ending as well, I was thoroughly satisfied. I'd love for this to become a series, I just need more from this author immediately.

I love me some Scandi mysteries and this definitely didn't disappoint. Of course I read all the Lisbeth Salander books and have wished for another character to captivate me like she did. I wish no more as Leonore Asker fulfills that role for me! I was flipping pages on my kindle so fast because this is that kind of book. There is Leo, as she is called, who has been banished to a nothing, nowhere department in favor of a golden boy inspector that allows his arrogance and posturing to ignore Leo's input and superior investigatory skills. Oh, and did I mention that Leo has been reared by a deranged prepper of a dad that is well known in the area?

The setting is Malmo, Sweden which is also a character in this book You've got kidnapped girls and young men, a dark mountain, urban explorers and model train enthusiasts. All these strands are intertwined into a mystery that is simply not just dark and menacing but one you simply can't put down.

I have read Anders De la Motte's other books and I believe that this is his best work yet. I hope he turns this into a series because it is perfectly poised to be one. The department that Leo is transferred to has the best offbeat
characters and is ignored enough to be way out there in terms of what they investigate which could open to some interesting writing.
If you love Scandi noir, don't miss this one. If you have never read Scandi, give this one a try - you won't be disappointed and may discover what you've been missing.

Many thanks to Emily Bestler Books/Atria Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this stellar offering by Anders De la Motte.
Definitely a 5-star read!

I have found a new Scandinavian writer!

Although the relationships of the characters are not unusual, tension and bad blood between detectives with the female lead being discriminated against as usual. But Leomore Asker is no ordinary female detective. Banished to the basement as head of the Department of Lost Souls, she puts her considerable skills to use and with the help of her friend, Martin, sets out to solve the case her colleagues think they have in the bag.

Dark, creepy and intriguing, this book kept me guessing until the very end. The ending…..well, don’t get me started.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a new series!

"The Mountain King" was an absolutely gripping read! From start to finish I was immersed in this storyline. It kept me on the edge of seat flipping pages, eager to try and solve the mystery.

One of my favorite parts was how well the FMC Leonore Asker was written. She was so easy to connect with which led me to be more emotionally invested in the story. I would continue on in this series solely based on how well-developed these characters were.

The author's writing style was dark and atmospheric, I really enjoyed how this story gave me a creeped out spooky feeling. I'm a big fan of reading stories with multiple POVs so I was glad to have that experience with book.

Overall this was a great read and I will definitely be recommending this book!

Thank you Anders de la Motte , Net Galley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this opportunity to read, rate and review this arc which will be available January 30,2024! All opinions herein are mine.

This is a Swedish noir, mystery, thriller crime fiction. The main character is Criminal I Spector Leonore Asker who after a humiliation is placed in charge of the so called department of Lost souls aka the cold case unit. Someone is placing weird figurines around town and one is of a missing woman.

This was a fast paced well written thriller where I actually enjoyed that a man wrote a woman main character. It wasn’t hokey or stereotypical but a truly great female character. Leo didn’t shy from doing what she must to solve the case. I thoroughly enjoyed this book

I absolutely loved this book! Asker is a beautifully written character who was easy to connect to. This was full of so many twists & turns I could barely wait to turn the pages. It gave the perfect amount of spooky vibes and definitely would be a great book to read during the fall/winter time.

Great novel! I love the writing, the story, the characters, well everything about it was good and entertaining!